Chapter 4
The fox wandered down the road, wondering how big this town could be. He had walked for hours and still not found the edge. The sun was rolling over the top of the sky and would soon be in his face as he walked.
As he came to a bookstore, he heard a story being told and followed the voice around to the alley beside the store, where he saw a group of children sitting in rapture as they listened to a uniformed wolf. The old wolf's uniform was different from the Home Guard. It was a rich blue instead of red-gray and the coat was cut higher in front, but with long tails in the back. He was sitting on a crate that had been decorated, apparently by the children he now had enthralled with his tale.
A small, decorative white fence stood at the front of the alley with a gate that stood open. Some of the children were sitting on a mat that was spread in front of the chairs the others were leaning out of, listening intently to the wolf in front of them.
Mutt leaned against the corner and listened.
“The army broke through the doors of the throne room and pushed past the remaining guards with ease. Filing in through the double doors, they soon filled the room and stood before the king on his throne.
“The king arose and drew his sword, standing it in front of him and glaring defiantly over the mass of soldiers.
“A general stepped out of the lines and addressed the king, ‘Surrender yourself, you have lost.’
“‘Why have you attacked my home?’ the king asked.
“‘Simple, your people have peace and riches and we want it.’
“The army behind him gave an affirming cheer.
“The king looked down at the General with a disheartened sigh, ‘Then it is you that have lost.’ He raised his sword into the light that shone down on the throne and the glimmer reflected over the faces of the soldiers as he addressed them. ‘The peace we have cannot be taken by force. Our riches will quickly vanish and you will have less than you had before, because we will be gone. All of the people in my kingdom work hard to keep their land beautiful. We have not been hoarding a secret wealth. All of you were welcome to join us, but peace cannot survive under brutality.” He looked down to the General, “If you want my throne, you may have it. I only ask that you let my people live their lives and allow me to join them.’
“The General gave a mocking smile and stepped up the stairs, ‘Of course you can join your people.’ Then he lunged forward with his sword, piercing the king's stomach.” The wolf lunged as if stabbing.
“The king gasped and…” the wolf clutched his stomach as if he had been stabbed and fell slowly off of the crate to lie quietly on the ground in front of the children.
Some of the children jumped up and rushed to him.
Mutt ran around the fence worriedly and knelt beside the wolf, pushing aside some of the children to roll the fallen storyteller over.
The wolf smiled up at the fox, “Hello there.”
The children began to laugh and the wolf chuckled, ruffling the hair of a giggling boy beside him. He looked at the fox as he sat up, “Looks like we have a newcomer today. What's your name?”
Mutt pulled himself out of his confusion enough to answer, “Mutt.”
The children chimed, “Hi, Mutt.”
The wolf extended his paw, “I, am Gunther.”
Mutt took his paw and shook it as the children began to introduce themselves and he smiled at each. Then he looked back to Gunther, “That's an awfully tragic tale you were telling.”
“Not half as tragic as the stories these children have to tell and theirs are not made up. Most of their parents were killed or injured in the war, so the stories they have at home are far worse because they took a loved one.”
Mutt looked to the children and replied, “Oh.”
One of the children spoke up, “Gunther. So, what happened to his son?”
The wolf patted Mutt's shoulder, “Besides, I like to focus on the happy endings.” He sat back down on his crate and continued the story.
“The prince had escaped through the secret passage and he and the noble knight, Baladain, and the brave maid, Ainsella, emerged within a small forest, outside the palace walls. They traveled from there to a nearby farm and stayed with a kind family, until the next story.”
The children moaned and begged for the story.
“You will just have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Does Prince Grogan go back and take back his castle?” a young cat asked.
“You'll just have to wait and see, won't you?” Gunther smiled and ruffled the cat's ears. “Now, gather your things together. I think I need a nap after being slain.”
A young boy came up and hugged the old wolf, then rubbed his belly where he had been ‘stabbed’, “Nobody could slay you Gunther. I wouldn't let 'em.”
Gunther smiled and patted the boy's back, “Thank you, Brinn. Now, run along and get back to your studies.”
The children scampered off and left the fox and the wolf alone in the alley.
Mutt watched them go, then Gunther spoke from his crate, “So, where do you hail from?”
The uneducated fox was puzzled by the new word and could not think of a better answer, “I don't know.”
“Don't know? Well, where were you born?”
Mutt looked down at his feet and mumbled, “I dunno.”
The old wolf frowned, “How long have you been living on the streets?”
Mutt looked up a little, “Most of my life.” He did not enjoy being asked questions that brought back bad memories, but answered anyway.
Gunther shuffled on his crate, “Where did you sleep last night?”
Mutt whispered, “In prison.”
The wolf whispered back, “Prison?” Then he stood up and offered his seat, speaking louder, “Well then, it sounds like you have quite a story to tell.”
The tired todd looked back at him quizzically and Gunther gestured to the crate again before turning to remove his coat and lay down on the pad in his shelter. The fox sat down on the crate and held his knees close together nervously. The bookstore owner came out and leaned around the corner to listen, having heard Gunther’s announcement.
Mutt began softly, telling what he could remember of his mother; how he met Billy; some of the things they did together; and up to how he and Billy had come from Harstlein to Perrin and what happened when they stayed a night in Mr. Barnes' stable. After the fox finished, Gunther looked up at the shopkeeper with an inquiring smile. The man nodded and returned to his store.
The aged wolf sat up and stretched, “Sounds like you could use a job.”
“A job? Well, yeah, I could use a little money, since I lost all my stuff.”
“Bah, money isn't important. What you need is an opportunity to improve yourself.”
“Improve myself? Well, I have been working on that. Then they took all my things, so now I have to start all over.”
Gunther laughed, “I am not talking about things. I am talking about you. Once you better yourself, everything else will come more easily to you.”
“Better myself? How can I do that? I have no money for school or even food to eat.”
“First step would be to stop repeating what I say. I already know what I said; I am the one that said it.”
“Sorry.”
“Next step,” Gunther pushed himself to his feet and took his coat from its hanger, “is to go into the bookstore and speak to the owner, Frank Willis.”
Mutt looked at the wolf a moment in confusion.
“Go on,” Gunther shooed him off.
The fox scampered around the fence, then looked back to the wolf before creeping cautiously through the door. He nervously approached the counter and the man behind it spoke without looking up.
“Do you know how to read?”
Mutt feared the answer was going to ruin his opportunity, but he answered truthfully, “No.”
“Well, Gunther can take care of that.”
Mutt's stomach grumbled loudly and he winced at the sudden sound.
“Go get yourself something to eat and I'll see you in here tomorrow morning before opening time.”
Mutt slowly smiled, “Okay” He headed out the door and was met by Gunther. “He hired me.”
“That was the easy part. We can talk about the rest over dinner.”
“But I have nothing for dinner.”
Gunther started walking down the street, “I know who does.”
The fox followed, still lost in all that was happening.
After a few blocks, Gunther walked through the door of a small deli and turned back to the fox following him, “Bill has the best sandwiches in town. He is quite talented for a late-bloom. Just don't talk about his tail, everything else came out great.”
“Late-bloom?”
Gunther sighed, “I see you have a lot to learn about.” He patted the fox's shoulder and pulled him inside.
The deli walls were lined with shelves of cans and jars and bottles and boxes and crates of various foods. The dozen small, round tables around the dining room were decorated with signatures and doodles. Beside a display cooler filled with meats, cheeses, salads, pies, and other goodies, stood a bobcat behind a counter.
Gunther walked up to the counter and shook the cat's paw, “Good afternoon, Bill.”
“How are you today, Gunther?” Bill replied with a warm smile.
“Quite well, thank you. I have a new friend I would like you to meet.” He reached back to draw the fox up to the counter. “This is Mutt. He has a few stories and is rather good at telling them. He will be joining me for lunch today.”
“Ahh,” Bill looked the fox over, “I'll have to stop by sometime. So, Mutt, what'll you have?”
Mutt fidgeted nervously and looked over the menu posted on the wall behind the counter and the cooler full of foods, “What can I have?”
The bobcat laughed, “Anything you want. You're with Gunther.”
The wolf intervened, “Perhaps he is not quite ready for all these delicious choices. Give me my usual and put something together you think he will enjoy.”
“For a fox,” Bill thought a moment, “I think I can manage something.”
Gunther led Mutt back to a table where they sat down and he pointed out a signature amidst the numerous names scrawled on the top: William Cain-Smithe.
“That is Bill's signature,” the wolf pulled a pen from his pocket and offered it to the fox, “and now, you get to find a place to put your signature.”
Mutt looked at the name on the table, glanced at the pen, then looked up to Gunther, “But I don't have one.”
Gunther looked at him a moment, then put the pen away, “I guess that is something else we will have to fix.” He pushed the book he had been carrying towards the fox and turned the cover open. “Have you read this before?”
Mutt shook his head.
“I think you should. It may be a work of fiction, but it follows the history of the Great Wars and tells much of our history. The facts are correct, only the protagonist never existed.”
“Protagonis?”
“The main character. She does not play a prominent part of history and only by the confession of Dr. Goan do we know she never existed. I think it would be a good way for you to learn about things like late-blooms and night-burns.”
“Night-burns?”
An old gray cat came up to the table carrying two glasses of ice water and a cup of hot water with an orange teabag on the saucer. Gunther pointed to the book in response to Mutt as the waitress set the drinks on the table, “The story explains it. Thank you Juliet. You are still as beautiful as your namesake.”
Juliet smiled and stroked one of the wolf's ears, “I just wonder when your hearing will start to get as bad as your eyes.”
“For the sake of hearing your lovely voice, I pray never.”
She brushed her paw through the fur on his cheek, “And I hope nothing ever tarnishes that silver tongue of yours, either.”
Gunther took her paw in his and smiled before gently kissing it.
Juliet slid her paw out of his grasp and held it, “I need to get back to work.” Then she turned quickly and hurried back to the kitchen.
Gunther looked back to Mutt, “Never pass up a chance to share a smile. Go ahead and read the book and you can ask me about anything you do not understand.”
“But I can't,” Mutt replied.
“Ah,” the wolf sighed, “so you do not know how to read. I suppose Frank had the intention that I would teach you. Good thing he was right. Do you know any words at all?”
Mutt looked down at the page and tried to find something familiar. He pointed to the page and pushed the book towards Gunther, “I know this is no.”
Gunther nodded and sighed, “I know it can be tough living under the poverty line.”
“I know a few different ways to write food.”
“Like what?”
“Like what's on the window,” Mutt pointed to the large window at the front of the restaurant with its name printed on it.
“Well, it is backwards from this side, but that actually reads as ‘Bobcat's Deli’”
“Yeah, the bottom word means food.”
Gunther laughed a little, “Deli refers to the kind of restaurant this is. They serve sandwiches and compliments, as well as meats, cheeses and salads.”
“Oh,” Mutt looked back to the book for another word.
The old wolf put his paw on the page, “Relax. We can work on that later.” He pulled the book back and closed it. He then pulled a pen and notepad from his pocket, wrote on it for a bit and placed it in front of Mutt. “This, at the top, is my name. Each letter represents a sound,” he started to explain, but Bill walked up to the table carrying two large plates.
He placed one of the plates in front of Gunther, “For our resident officer of literature, roast beef au jus with spicy mustard on the side.” He placed the other in front of Mutt, “And for our new fox friend, my own Crowned Chicken with my Hearty Salad. Definitely a balanced meal.” He stepped back to wait for a response; then spoke up again, “And if you stay for dessert, I just got a nice delivery of fruits.”
Gunther laughed, “I think this might be more than enough for a starving fox. We would not want him getting sick from eating too much at once.”
“Yes. Yes. Well, he will be coming back, won't he?”
“We shall just have to see if he enjoys this mountain of food you have given him.”
Bill looked at the fox, who was wide-eyed in shock, “Well, what do you think?”
“This is all for me?”
The bobcat laughed, “Of course. Eat up.”
“But,” Mutt fumbled in fear, “I can't pay for this.”
“It's already paid,” the cat patted the fox' back.
Mutt looked to Gunther, who nodded in affirmation; then looked down at the plate in front of him. The sandwich was a large deli bun with the inside of the top carved out and filled with a creamy chicken salad. A tangy spread coated the bottom under a grilled, seasoned chicken breast topped with a mild deli mustard, a slice of fried potato and a large leaf of lettuce. Beside it lay a mound of lettuce covered in pieces of carrots, cucumber, cactus, mushrooms, pecans, boiled egg, and grilled strips of rabbit meat with a small bottle of a creamy vinegar dressing lying across the middle of the plate. He carefully picked up the large sandwich and took a bite. Moaning and smiling, he looked up at Bill and tried to compliment with his mouth full.
“Thanks,” the bobcat replied and patted the fox' shoulder, “You guys enjoy. I need to get back to the kitchen.”
“Thank you, Bill. It looks like you have made him very happy,” Gunther laughed as he dipped a section of his sandwich in the broth.
Bill laughed and walked off as the fox and the wolf continued their meals. Mutt glanced behind him out of curiosity and saw the bobcat's unusually long tail was split halfway down and had two tips that flicked in unison as he walked. He looked back at Gunther and the wolf raised a finger to his lips, shaking his head with a smile.
